The coronavirus is affecting us all in so many ways – it threatens our health, ruins our plans and keeps us away from our normal lives.
But strangely enough, it’s actually the impact to our working routine that’s throwing people off the most. With growing restrictions from the government, most businesses have made the decision to close their offices. Suddenly, everyone’s found themselves in their bedrooms with a laptop, adapting to working from home and trying to carry on as if it was business as usual.
To some, the idea of working from home sounds great! However, the adjustments they’ve have to make, the uncertainty of what will happen next and being away from friends and colleagues can start to make anyone feel quite lonely and isolated.
So as a Manager or Business Owner, what can you do to put your employees at ease and remind them that they’re not forgotten?
Appreciate and motivate them with a Work From Home Kit
Being at home alone and working in isolation can make everyone feel quite disconnected. Suddenly – there’s a knock at the door and a little gift pack appears. They unwrap it to find that it’s a package sent from work.
A Work From Home Kit is an unexpected (but welcomed) surprise and a great way to show a bit of love, even from afar. This little act can make your team feel instantly appreciated and can also be an effective way of reinforcing the importance of the role they’re continuing to play, even when not in the office.
These kits can include a note of appreciation, some guidelines, updates and reminders from the HR Department and, of course, some promotional products full of goodies. You may even include something more purpose-based, such as personalised company materials that they will find useful when completing their projects.
Just the thought that Management has organised to send them gifts is enough to make employees feel good, and the customised company products will provide a sense of unity – helping them feel not so detached from their usual working environment.
Start with a Thank You note
It’s no secret: the coronavirus is making everyone a little stressed and anxious which can make it hard to focus.
Despite this, you still need your employees to work hard to continue to be productive. They all have an important role to play and in such economically uncertain times, you need everyone working together more than ever to keep the business running and your customers happy.
So, writing them a simple Thank You note goes a long, long way. It’s like a pat on the back, telling them that you acknowledge what they do and you’re grateful that they’re right by your side during these difficult times.
Don’t know what to write? No problem – You can download a Thank You note template we have written. You can use it to connect with your team during COVID-19.
Don’t forget to add some business-related info in too
The difference between working from home and working in the office is that the latter provides easy accessibility when you need assistance.
Got some questions and concerns? Just one call or stroll to their office and you can start chatting. While working from home shouldn’t be too much different, it can often feel that way.
Suddenly, people are in home offices and not sure what the protocol is for reaching out.
By including some guidelines and business updates into your gift package, you can take the opportunity to reinforce company policies and procedures, or even update them with recent changes and news they should know about. You may even put in a list of contacts explaining how to ask for help when needed.
This will have much more impact than a corporate email.
Use Work From Home Kits to reiterate company values
While they may be working from home, you still want to recreate a sense of working normalcy somehow. This may include placing branded items and promotional products in your kit.
There are a wide range of branded materials you can choose from, from simpler items like pens, notebooks, coffee cups, tumblers, bags and desk calendars, to specialised and unique items. Really, it’s up to how creative you want to be.
You can let your imagination run wild by going through the selection here: www.welcomekits.com.au.
Just remember – the items you choose should reflect what your business stands for.
For instance, perhaps include your company’s mission, vision and values. Printing these into the designs of your promotional products can keep your employees inspired by reminding them that their contribution is important towards the accomplishment of overarching goals.
Even when they’re home-bound right now, seeing these promotional products will keep your brand’s presence around and recreate a sense of work routine, even out of the office.
Want personalised Work From Home Kits for your employees?
No worries! We can have them personally created for your business and delivered easily.
Book here a free 15 minute Kit Consult with one of our experts or contact us or call 1300 776 733 for more information. Let’s help you make a lasting impression with all of your team, even from a distance!
You make a huge effort to get new customers, right? Your marketing department, whatever size it is, is on a daily quest to attract prospects and convert them into clients. Once that task is accomplished, those new clients move into a whole new category that seeks, or ought to at least, to convert them into loyal brand ambassadors.
Perhaps your customer service team will take over and handle your clients from this point on. However, a properly designed welcome kit might make this transition into an extra boost of loyalty, delight, and #branding.
Nevertheless, this new customer intake process must be carefully planned and designed for each new client. Personalised, functional, useful, informative, and fun are among the traits to keep in mind when putting together a new client welcome kit. Remember that as much as a carefully designed welcome kit can make a great impression, a poorly conceived kit might do more damage than good.
Luckily for you, we’ve put together this guide of welcome kit do’s and don’ts so you have a better understanding of how to more efficiently tackle this process. Read on to find out and get in touch with our experts to get your own new client welcome kit going.
The Do’s
The basic tenet behind the “do’s” of welcome kits is centred around personalisation and customisation. It’s very efficient and an overall good idea to have a standard welcome kit that has been put together with anticipation, but it must have plenty of room for personalisation once you know what client you’re giving it to. It’s also a good idea to always assign a portion of your marketing budget to new client welcome kit personalisation in case you might need to get a specific item to properly personalise your kit.
The Info
Your new client might have decided to work with you for a specific set or reason or services. However, it’s very possible that your company offers other services that this particular client might not be aware of.
An informative brochure is the best way to let your new client know more about your brand, like other services you offer, success stories, experience, your processes, your team, and so forth. Make sure you keep this item easy to read, short, and straight forward, otherwise there’s a big chance no one will read it.
Let your imagination fly and consider delivering this information through other channels, such as a video, website accessed through QR code, interactive toy or tool, etc.
Tools N ́ Toys
Once you’ve dealt with the informative part of your welcome kit, it’s time to get down to the good stuff. This is your opportunity to surprise and delight your client. Be bold, be original, but be yourself, or better yet, let your brand be itself.
The items you select must reflect or communicate part of your brand message, its values, and its personality. But they also have to connect with your client by being interesting, useful, fun, and something that will be present in their lives for a long time.
The most important aspect of your welcome kit, and the one that’ll ensure it gets the results you want (loyalty, delight, etc.), is to invest the appropriate amount of resources into it by letting the experts make the process smoother and more efficient.
The Don’ts
We’re going to keep the negative section of the “don’ts” short and straight to the point: Don’t be lazy, unoriginal, or petty. If you just assemble a regular old kit with a calendar, a pen, a notebook, or something similarly boring, don’t be surprised if your client isn’t surprised by your kit and forgets about it faster than you can say “welcome”.
Don’t go at it alone. Your team might have the best intentions in mind, but allowing a team of dedicated professionals to assist you in creating the perfect welcome kit will take a weight off your shoulders. And you’ll have peace of mind knowing your kit’s success is guaranteed. Let’s START HERE!
You’ve just finished celebrating with your team the signing of a new client. Amazing, right? But what do you do with the time between that glorious contract signing and the actual kickoff of the project?
Most companies neglect to have a proper client intake system and thus miss a huge opportunity to truly boost their reputation and revenue. The best way to squeeze the juice out of this period of time is a properly branded and customised new Client Welcome Kit.
You are an expert in your industry and you’ll get the job with your client done well. Now let the experts guide you through the process of having a new Client Welcome Kit that’ll make your company stand out from the crowd.
Make the Welcome Kit Informative
Every Welcome Kit is intended not only to delight your clients and make them a happy customer, but they’re also a tool that can be used to make sure they have all the information they need to work with you.
Immediately after a contract is signed or an agreement is reached, send a 2- or 3-page PDF that contains important information about the work you’ll do with your client. Create a master version that you can quickly customise for each client and each different project.
This “brochure” should be part welcome wagon, part client roadmap, part FAQ. Keep it simple, easy to read, and make it engaging so your client feels compelled to react to it.
Keep It Fun
Once you’ve got the informative part of the Welcome Kit taken care of, it’s time to make sure it’s fun. A Welcome Kit for clients should contain items that are designed, selected and customised to be fun in a way related to their industry, to the project and/or to their company’s style. (check out here some popular options)
Be original, but also be mindful of culture, values and other factors that might touch on different sensibilities. Make them age-appropriate and consider how your client will use it on a daily basis, which takes us to the next point.
Take into consideration everything you know about your client (think about using the buyer persona method) and let’s come up together with items that’ll be present in their everyday life in a useful manner. Something useful covers everything from a daily planner, a pen, and a hat, to more specific items that might be used for work or daily life as a meter of some sort, a light, and so on.
Deliver with Class
Of course, regular carrier delivery works most of the time. But you might want to take things up a notch, depending on what your client would appreciate. A special delivery service, a great looking package that is original and might be useful too, or even just delivering it yourself might make more of an impact and reassure your client they’ve picked the right company.
Benefits of using Welcome Kits for New Clients
Going the extra mile by surprising and delighting your client has plenty of benefits, including:
• Reinforcing your client’s decision to work with you.
• Managing their expectations.
• Easing your client into a new process.
• Surprising and delighting your client.
• Reinforcing your brand in your client’s mind.
And much more. Now that you see the benefits and understand that a new client intake system is crucial, contact us to let us take care of the entire process for you and make sure the items you include are there to make a difference.
First impressions count. Your clients form their opinion about your brand based on the quality of your product and the service you’re offering based on the first interaction with your team.A corporate uniform or dress code policy must be a well-thought strategic step into motivating your team members to connect with your brand’s mission and vision every time they put on their work clothes.The process of developing a company uniform has to be connected to the brand’s purpose and objectives. The uniform must reflect the changing market, exude confidence, have a contemporary feel and inspire employees.
Like any element of brand and marketing, uniform design and implementation need to be well thought out and planned.
Read on to find out everything you need to know in order to create a corporate uniform policy and learn how to design the right corporate uniform for your brand.
Tips to Create a Corporate Uniform Policy
Corporate uniforms might be necessary for your brand’s consistency, but it is crucial to also create a corporate uniform policy that includes everyone at your organisation and ensures compliance and effectivity.These tips will help you ensure that your uniform policy is fair both towards your brand’s identity and mission, and your employees’ need to feel appreciated and comfortable.
First, Why Do You Need a Uniform Policy?
Explain Expectations
Avoid misunderstandings by making it crystal clear what you mean by terms like “formal”, “casual”, etc. Clear guidelines about what is acceptable and what isn’t. These expectations should be applied to everyone from employees and senior management, to interns and even temps to create a sense of harmony and belonging for all.
Make it Easy for New Starters and Ensure Safety
Part of your employee onboarding checklist should include a clear uniform policy that helps starters fit in and feel part of the team from day one. Take this worry out of their minds and ensure they’ll keep your brand’s image intact from the get-go. Considerer to include the policy in welcome packs for new employeesSome jobs require employees to wear certain types of uniforms due to health and safety regulations. Taking this into consideration further ensures safety and makes it easier to control these risk factors.
Ensure Consistency and Get Fewer Complaints
Consistency is key to any brand if it wants to consistently transmit an identity to its audience. Corporate uniforms further this message at every level of contact. By having a clear uniform policy, complaints about “inappropriate” dress practices will drop dramatically, and there will be more harmony among all employees. Legal actions from disgruntled employees will also diminish when your uniform policy is clear.
So, How Do You Create a Corporate Uniform Policy?
1. Include All Your Employees
When developing your corporate uniform policy, be as inclusive as possible. Think about each different division or department within your company and consider all their different needs and expectations.To do this, include representation and gather opinions from your entire organisation. This process will help you to not overlook different needs you didn’t think of. It will also make everyone feel part of the process, making them more likely to comply with the policy with pride.Be sure to represent all job types when developing uniforms. Keep in mind that workers who perform a more physical type of job, such as those who operate machinery, for example, will have different needs from those working a desk job or customer service.
2. Communicate Clearly
Make double sure to clearly explain all your decisions and policies to your employees in a way they’ll understand and feel included and appreciated. Regularly ask for their input and allow suggestions to make them feel included and connected to the brand. This also foments constant improvement.
It’s important to also include a discipline system in your policy. This system should be applied fairly and consistently across the entire organisation.
Include a clear outline of what disciplinary options will be applied. These can range from administrative warnings to requiring the employee to go home and change, to more severe actions like termination. All depending on the severity and repetitiveness of the violations.
3. Address Dress-Code Violation Issues Delicately
If you consider an employee has violated the uniform policy, take the time to make sure a violation has actually taken place and gather proof before taking action.Once it has been established that a dress-code violation has taken place, have a manager speak to the employee in a discreet way, maintain a level of confidentiality and make sure the employee understands what the violation was.
When applying a warning or a disciplinary action, stick to the facts and avoid getting into personal details or judgment calls. It’s important to find out why the employee incurred in the dress-code violation.
As a general rule, when creating a uniform policy, be fair, communicate clearly and often, and include your employees in your decisions. These best practices will create a policy that benefits both your brand and your employees.
Develop the look and feel of your corporate uniforms at the same time you develop your corporate uniform policy to ensure both processes feed off of each other. Keep your brand’s identity and employee appreciation and input working together to get a final product that will satisfy everyone’s needs. Download this Corporate Uniforms Design Guide to help you go through the process smoothly and create a set of uniform items that’ll make your employees look brand-tastic. Get started with your staff and employees, and get in touch with us to develop a set of uniform items that fit perfectly within your policy, budget, objectives, promotional marketing scope, and employee expectations.
Your team invests a lot of time and energy into recruiting and hiring a new employee. A large part of new employee satisfaction is ensuring they are onboarded properly. Here is a complete employee onboarding checklist for you to make sure your new team member feels prepared for success.
1. Send a Pre-Arrival email
Once your new employee has signed their contract and has an official start date, make sure you send them a “pre-arrival” email with all of the information they will need for their first day. This email is essential in making sure your new employee feels prepared and enthusiastic for their start date. In the case that they have only spoken with a recruiter and a hiring manager up until then, it will also put them in touch with the person they can ask for any onboarding or first day questions.
Here are some things you can include in that pre-arrival email:
• Introduction sentence congratulating the employee on receiving the role
• Office address and any information they will need to access the office
• What to bring to the office their first day
• Any paperwork they will need to fill out before their first day
• Office dress code
• Employee handbook
2. Send a Welcome email
A welcome email will be on their start date. It should come from the HR team. The welcome email will welcome the new employee to the company as well as introduce them to the rest of the team. A welcome email could include:
• Picture of the new employee
• Link to their LinkedIn profile to encourage other team members to connect
• Their role and department
• Fun fact about the new employee
3. Make sure they have the tools they need
Depending on their role, part of your new employee onboarding checklist will be to make sure they have all of the tools they need to perform their job. This could include a computer, uniforms business cards, specific software, etc. Make sure you speak with the new employee’s manager to determine what they will need on their first day to be successful in their new role.
Welcome kits are useful for a number of reasons and should be included in your employee onboarding checklist. They help improve employee satisfaction by making them feel welcome at their company since day one. If created correctly, they can also instill company values and create a sense of company loyalty with your new employee.
To be effective, welcome kits should include a mix of important onboarding information and fun company swag.
Managers should have a plan for their new employee, but so should HR. Make sure your new team member is scheduled for training, classes, or anything else that they will need to complete their first week.
Also, try to include some fun activities. Maybe a one-on-one coffee with the department head or a team activity to get to know their new coworkers.
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6. Plan a first-day lunch
Make sure the new employee has lunch plans for their first day.
Does the entire team work in the office? As a step in your employee onboarding checklist, maybe plan a first-day lunch with the employee’s new team. This will foster a sense of team and collaboration from day one. Is the team unavailable for lunch? Have a HR employee take the new employee out to lunch. Since they will already be in contact with the employee from before their start date, they will be a familiar face for the new employee.
7. Introduce them
If their immediate manager is in meetings on the new employee’s first day, take the opportunity to introduce them to their team members. Make sure you also introduce them to other departments they might not have as much interaction with. Introducing your new employee will make them feel a lot more welcome on their first day.
Are there other new people joining the same day? Make sure to introduce them to each other and they can ask each other “newbie” questions!
8. Explain more perks of the job
Are there some perks of working with your company that weren’t explained in the hiring process? Make sure to create a “Guide to Company’s Perks” for your new employee. These can help instill company values from day one and also ensure your new employee feels knowledgeable about their new company.
• Different company cultural activities they can get involved in
• Referral bonuses
9. Check in with them
As you can see in this checklist, there will be so much going on for your new employee. Make sure you reach out to them and check in with them throughout their first week. Ask if they have any questions or if they need anything. They will appreciate the opportunity to ask.
10. Get feedback
Hiring and onboarding should be a continual process of improvement. After their first week or two, ask the new employee for any feedback on their interview process and onboarding. If you believe they had a really great interviewing experience, ask them to leave an interview review on your company’s Glassdoor page to increase your visibility.
Ready to start planning your employee onboarding program? Download here your own Employee Onboarding Checklist:
Planning and designing the right uniform items for your company takes a lot of resources. Get started with the ideas below and get in touch with us to develop a set of uniform items that fit perfectly within your policy, budget, objectives, promotional marketing scope, and employee expectations.
Start with the basics, learn why is important to have a well-thought corporate uniforms policy or dress-code policy and how to start implementing one for your company, plus a few tips from our team of experts.
What are the coolest and well-thought company uniforms in Australia? and how can you develop the perfect look for your company? Find the answers in this special company uniforms design guide from the team at Red Tomato.
